raidenofffandomcom-20200213-history
Nicolas of Rhen
Not to be confused with any of the Hecrivastin monarchs of the same name. Nicolas Zigmar was the ninth monarch of Rhen. He was best known for his failed attempts at an isolationist foreign policy. Early life Nicolas was born to the reigning Rhennish king, Reinhard I, in 106 DR. He was an artistic and intellectual child, and so he spent much of his time learning history and the harp. However, he came to be viewed as frivolous, especially in the wake of increasing tension in the region; thus, Nicolas was sent to a school of battle command in 124. Nicolas proved to be a capable, if unenthusiastic, tactician. Once the New Saltsmoke War began in 129, Nicolas decided to enter service as a Rhennish border guard. He was frustrated by frequent Hecrivastin and Pierrogic passage through the borders; some even went as far as to hold actual battle on Rhennish soil. This contributed to Nicolas' urging his father to enter the war, and so in 136 Nicolas became a full military commander. Military service Nicolas led his men skillfully, but Reinhard's hesitant and halting grand strategy tended to undermine his efforts, and Nicolas was continually fighting to overcome his dearth of soldiers. He was ultimately unable to make any serious military victories before Reinhard surrendered in 140. Rhen's poor showing in the New Saltsmoke War left Nicolas bitter and resentful of militarism, and set the foundations for his later foreign policy. Reign Nicolas came to power in 141, and much was expected from him, as a breath of fresh air after Reinhard's increasingly disappointing tenure. Nicolas emphasized Rhennish border security in his first years in power, and grew the standing army to be able to patrol it more effectively. Occasionally, this brought Nicolas into conflict with his bordering nations, but no serious military confrontations broke out. In 147, Nicolas began phasing out many of his diplomatic visits and tightening restrictions on travel and imports. This was a major source of contention among Pierrogic merchants, who resented losing a significant amount of coastline access, and being forced to take very indirect routes to reach northern Hecrivast. However, Nicolas was undaunted by the backlash and continued his policy. Nicolas made a statement in 150 in which he "recommended" Yevism as the "most appropriate" faith for the Rhennish people, as its ascetic tenets matched Rhen's isolationist policies. This caused further upset among the other religious groups in Rhen, but Nicolas moved quickly to prevent actual uprisings from breaking out, and he stressed that other faiths would still be permitted. International disfavor towards Rhen in the ensuing years caused economic downturn, and in conjunction with Rhen's already-unstable economy, Nicolas became a hated figure both at home and abroad in the 150s. This culminated in a popular uprising led by Nicolas' son Raphael in 158, and while Nicolas did eventually subdue the rebellion in 160, he was forced to relax his border security and increase imports again. Nicolas died of a stroke in 162. Since Raphael, his only son, had been executed for his involvement in the uprising, Nicolas was succeeded instead by his daughter, Madelain. Personal life Nicolas married Swanhild Harving in 127, and they had two children, Madelain and Raphael, in the ensuing years. In their youth, Nicolas tried to instill his own love of art in his children, but as he grew increasingly isolationist, discord grew in his family. In 153, Nicolas prohibited his family from leaving Collinschwef, and was hesitant to allow them to even leave his property. This led to the highest level of unhappiness in his family, and was a major contributing factor to Raphael's decision to go into armed rebellion. Category:Rhennishmen Category:Zigmar Family Category:Monarchs